Services
13
Mar
LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND SAFETY (“LADBS”) MANDATORY RETROFIT SOFT STORY PROGRAM UNDER ORDINANCE 183893 AND ORDINANCE 184081. In some of our recent blogs (see link at the end of this page) we discussed seismic retrofitting and how commercial property owners can prepare for an earthquake. We touched briefly on the City of Los Angeles’ Soft Story Retrofit Program, which identified buildings vulnerable to structural failure both during and…
1
Feb
If you are a typical LA homeowner, you never think about your home’s foundation. In fact, for most homeowners, the first time they pay attention to their home’s foundation is when their floors and walls are cracking, or when they are trying to sell the property and their buyer’s home inspector gives them the bad news that their foundation is damaged! Are foundation failures common? Yes, indeed, they are a…
18
Jan
For most homeowners, their home is their most valuable investment. And yet so few homeowners are aware that their LA-built homes are constructed on shifting soil that doesn’t fare well under frequent earthquake activity. It is imperative that LA homeowners remain vigilant and have a periodic, professional evaluation of their home to determine whether or not this most valuable property is in fact sinking or settling under its own weight. …
9
Jan
As a homeowner in the greater Los Angeles area, you may already be aware that the soil composition in our region, our alternating rainy-then-dry seasons, as well as our frequent earthquakes, often lead to serious structural problems in a home’s foundation. Moreover, foundations of older homes are especially vulnerable to moisture, soil settlement, and seismic activity and can threaten the structure’s stability and in turn, the health and safety of…
15
Dec
Homes sit on top of foundations! The concept of building a home on top of a foundation has not changed in 100 or more years. In fact, most homes in Los Angeles have been built on foundations whose job it is to keep the home safe from harm when a natural disaster hits, for example a flood, landslide, or earthquake. Modern foundations are made out of concrete which is mixed…
4
Nov
HERE’S YOUR CHECKLIST! The Fall period in our lovely city of Los Angeles is a wonderful season: the weather becomes more temperate, we start to wear a jacket at night when the temperatures drop, and we get our Halloween costumes and candy ready for trick or treating! For many of us, Fall is also a perfect time to prepare our home’s landscape and hardscape for the rainy season which will…
16
Jan
What’s That Rattle in Seattle? You may have heard about the recent wave — please excuse the earthquake pun — of rocking, rolling, stomping, hooting, and hollering amongst Seahawk fans inside the CenturyLink Field stadium in Seattle. This vibrant activity has been enough to be felt blocks away from the stadium and even to set off local seismic sensors in the area. The original incident occurred in 2011 and has, since…
15
Jan
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled a plan last month that will require Los Angeles to structurally prepare for the impending major earthquake many scientists predict will happen over the next decade. The Los Angeles City Council discussed the plan this week, taking the first step at working out the kinks in the plan before it is approved. The plan, known as Resilience by Design, is the effort of Garcetti…
6
Jan
Start Your Year Off Right! Happy New Year! It is 2015 and everything is off to a fresh start. It feels as if the future is now and that anything is possible. Ok, so they’re still working out the kinks for the hoverboards we were promised in Back to the Future Part II; but technology is getting closer every day. That said, there is a a lot to look forward…
11
Sep
Rewind to January 17th Earthquake hits Reseda California in the wee hours of the morning as families across the city are awakened from their slumber in a panic. The earthquake, which measured out to a magnitude of 6.7 on the Richter Scale, could be felt as far away as Las Vegas, Nevada. As confused and panicked families and individuals alike rush for safety, they are met merely one minute later…
